Horse Stable Plans: Important Considerations

If you want to build a home for your horse, creating a list of horse stable plans is the best way to work out exactly what your horse will need from its new location. A horse stable is not a cheap item to install or maintain, and creating a plan can help you work out what you will need before you start paying out for building works. Creating the horse stable plans will involve working with someone who understands buildings, but there are many things that you will need to consider before you start putting anything firm down on paper.

Cost

The cost of building your horse stable is probably the biggest factor affecting the design of your horse stable plans. You need to calculate how much the materials you need will cost, as well as labor and the price of maintaining roofs and floors. The materials for the stable are vital, as horses can easily kick through things which are durable, and you will have to replace them repeatedly. Materials that can take a lot of punishment, such as hard woods, metals, and stone, are the ideal fabrics for your stable. Make a note of any costs which you are likely to face.

Size

The cost of your stables will undoubtedly effect the size of the building you are able to construct. You will also have to take into consideration pathways and fields, particularly if you live in an area close to a road, or near sounds that may upset your horse. The size of the stables will also be effected by the number of horses that you wish to keep in the stables, so a small shed-sized structure could house one horse, while five may need something as large as a house.

Drainage

When you are creating your horse stable plans, be sure to consider the importance of drainage in your stables. Mucking out can be a lot of hard work, and suitable draining will save you a lot of effort. Drainage also helps prevent your horses from developing rot in their hooves, which can be expensive and difficult to treat. Keeping your horse healthy and safe in the stables will be vital, and proper drainage will help to ensure that.

Stabling

Inside the shed you want as much room as possible for each of your horses, and you also want to prevent them from harming each other. Your horse stable plans should lay out whether you want to keep your horses housed together, such as in a basic rail without corral panels, or whether you want each horse in a separate area. Building walls between each horse can be expensive, so if you have one difficult horse it may be worth having one or two 'rooms' for these horses, with the rest in a single communal area. This will allow you to manage the location of your horses without having to invest in corrals for each.